UIndy, S&T, Truman Awarded GLVC Football Major Honors

INDIANAPOLIS – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced Tuesday that the University of Indianapolis earned three of the league's 2024 major football postseason awards, including Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year, while Missouri S&T earned the Special Teams Player of the Year award, and Truman State University won Freshman of the Year.
 
The Indianapolis honorees include junior quarterback Gavin Sukup as Offensive Player of the Year, senior linebacker Clay Schulte as Defensive Player of the Year, and Chris Keevers, who was voted by his peers as Coach of the Year. Missouri S&T's award winner was senior offensive utility Gideon Niboh as the Special Teams Player of the Year, and Truman State's recipient was receiver Jackson Overton as Freshman of the Year. In total, 115 student-athletes claimed All-Conference honors with 37 on the First and Second Teams and 41 Honorable Mention, while nine were chosen as GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship honorees for the sport and William Jewell College was selected as the team sportsmanship award winner.
 
The All-Conference awards are nominated and voted on by league coaches, who, per GLVC Bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their own players.
 
Offensive Player of the Year: Gavin Sukup, Junior, Quarterback, Indianapolis

• Becomes UIndy's seventh Offensive Player of the Year overall and the second ever player to win the award in back-to-back seasons, the first being Cooper Callis from Southwest Baptist in the shortened spring 2021 season and 2021.
• Led GLVC through 12 games overall in total passing yards (2621), and total yards (2983).
  • Placed second in the conference in completion percentage (62.6), passing touchdowns (21), average yards per game (218.4), and total offensive yards per game (248.6).
• Led GLVC in eight Conference contests in completion percentage (72.8), total yards (2010), and total yard per game (251.3).
  • Placed second in the conference in passing efficiency (181.8), and third in passing yards (1690), passing touchdowns (14), and passing yards per game (211.3).
• Ranked 16th in NCAA Division II in yards per attempt (8.91), 18th for passing yards (2621), 25th in passing touchdowns (21),
• Named GLVC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16, Sept. 23, and Oct. 28.
• Earns second career All-GLVC accolade as the First Team quarterback.

 
Defensive Player of the Year: Clay Schulte, Senior, Linebacker, Indianapolis

• Becomes UIndy's third Defensive Player of the Year after defensive backs Landry Mavungu and Mitch Dewitt nabbed the honors last year and during the shortened Spring 2021 season.
• Second in the Conference in total tackles (100) and tackles for loss (14.5) through 12 games, also third in the conference in solo tackles (57).
• Placed fourth in eight Conference contests with 61 total tackles.
• Named GLVC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7, and Nov. 11
• Earns second-straight All-GLVC honor on the First Team.

 
Special Teams Player of the Year: Gideon Niboh, Senior, Offensive-Utility, Missouri S&T

• Becomes S&T's third-ever Special Teams Player of the Year, and second player in GLVC history to win two Special Teams Player of the Year awards.
  • Seventh S&T major award winner.
• Returned two punt returns and one kickoff return for touchdowns.
  • Tied for second nationally with two punt return touchdowns
• Sits atop Conference stats in overall games through 11 contests with 717 kick return yards.
  • Second in the Conference in punt return yard average (12.8) and third in punt return yards (204)
• In Conference games, leads the GLVC in kick return yards at 587. Also is second in the Conference in punt return yards (162).
• Named GLVC Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct.7.
• Earns third All-GLVC accolade but the first on the First Team.

 
Freshman of the Year: Jackson Overton, Receiver, Truman State

• Becomes Truman State's third Freshman of the Year joining Nolan Hair in spring 2021 and Jaden Barr in 2016.
• Ranked first in GLVC through eleven games with 10 touchdowns, fifth in yards per game (56.4), seventh in receiving yards (645), tied for seventh in receptions (40), and receptions per game (3.6), eighth in yards per catch (16.1)
• Played in eight GLVC games and stands first in touchdowns (9), third in receiving yards (552), fourth in average yards per game (69.0), sixth in average yards per catch (19.7), eighth in receptions (28), and tenth in receptions per game (3.5).
• Named to the All-GLVC Second Team.

 
Coach of the Year: Chris Keevers, Indianapolis

• Voted by his peers as Coach of the Year for the fourth time, while this is the eighth time a Greyhound mentor has won the honor.
• Led UIndy to a 10-2 overall record and 8-0 GLVC record to win the program's tenth GLVC Championship.
• Earned third-straight and ninth overall NCAA Division II Playoff bid.
• Ranked 14th in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Coaches' Poll.
• Guided 26 players to All-GLVC distinction, including 15 on the First Team, nine on the Second Team, and two Honorable Mention while also mentoring two major award winners in Sukup, and Schulte.

 
UIndy led the league with 26 All-Conference honorees and 15 on the First Team, followed by McKendree University and Upper Iowa University (16), Quincy University (14), Truman State University (13), Missouri S&T (12), Southwest Baptist University (8), William Jewell College (6), and Lincoln University (5).
 
The nine GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees are listed below, which are student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school's two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced at the end of the academic year.
 
A complete list of the 2024 All-GLVC teams and postseason honors can be found below.
 
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Gavin Sukup, QB, Jr., Indianapolis
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Clay Schulte, LB, Sr., Indianapolis  
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Gideon Niboh, Off-UT, Sr., Missouri S&T
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Jackson Overton, REC, Truman State
COACH OF THE YEAR: Chris Keevers, Indianapolis 
 
 

FIRST TEAM* Gavin Sukup, QB, Jr., UINDY Teon Dollard, RB, Gr., QU Jon Lewis, RB, Sr., UINDY Keaundre McCullough, RB, RS-Sr., WJC Yogi Flager, Jr., REC, RS-Sr., MCK CJ Wiggins, REC, Sr., S&T Anthony Crowell, REC, So., UINDY Jordan Kent, REC, Sr., SBU Chris Kerr, TE, Sr., TSU Ryan Ritchie, OL, Sr., UINDY Ryne Buttz, OL, Jr., UINDY Kody Klingensmith, OL, Sr., TSU Cole Littrell, OL, Sr., S&T Brandon Stuckey, OL, RS-Fr., UINDY Austin Dearing, OL, Sr., QU Gideon Niboh, Off-UT, Sr., S&T Markez Gillam, RS, Jr., UINDY Michael Wojciechowski, LS, RS-Sr., UINDY Graham Carter, LS, Jr., S&T Ian Burr, K, RS-Sr., UINDY Clayton Winkler, P, Sr., LIN Aaron Barnett, DL, RS-Sr., UINDY Sam Amponsah, DL, 5th, MCK Rhett Smith, DL, Sr., UIU Thomas Spaulding, DL, Jr., TSU Bentley Hart, DL, Jr., S&T Clay Schulte, LB, Sr., UINDY Ulysses Ross, LB, Sr., TSU Adam Callahan, LB, Sr., WJC Brock Inman, LB, Sr., QU Kole Viel, LB, Sr., UINDY Mike Brown, DB, Sr., UINDY Key Crowell, DB, Fr., UINDY Andrew Sherry, DB, RS-Sr., MCK Sean Mitchell, DB, RS-Jr., WJC Kivonte Houston, DB, Sr., UINDY Carson Prenger, Def-UT, Sr., S&T *Extra Member due to tie.

SECOND TEAM* Dylan Hair, QB, So., TSU Denim Cook, RB, Jr., TSU Eddie Clark, RB, RS-So., MCK Jayden Mitchell, RB, Gr., UIU Jackson Overton, REC, RS-Fr., TSU Kendall Abdur-Rahman, REC, Gr., MCK Mante Morrow, REC, Jr., UIU Alonzo Derrick, REC, Sr., UINDY Ethan Hand, TE, Sr., UINDY Klay Seehase, OL, Jr., UIU Grant Ray, OL, RS-So., UINDY Tyler Leopold, OL, RS-So., UINDY Nathan Smith, OL, Sr., QU Houston Eagen, OL, Sr., TSU Jake Seidel, OL, Sr., S&T Connor Kinnett, Off-UT, Sr., UINDY Gideon Niboh, RS, Sr., S&T Ifeanyi Mbagwu, LS, Jr., LIN Michael Owens, K, Sr., QU Nathan Behne, K, Fr., UIU Logan Jacobson, P, So., S&T Eddy Latanauskas, DL, Jr., UIU Brandon Granger, DL, Sr., QU Jaylin Vaughn, DL, Jr., QU Amarion Evans, DL, Sr., UINDY Tanner Hollerich, DL, Jr., MCK San Flowers, LB, Sr., UINDY Michael Mulherin, LB, So., UIU Trevor Thompson, LB, Sr., UIU Justin Gniedziejko, LB, Jr., S&T Ricky Woodhouse, LB, So., SBU Zacarius Murray, DB, Sr., UIU Joseph Webb, DB, Sr., QU Jalyn Givan, DB, RS-Jr., UINDY Ben Kamara, DB, Jr., UIU Jahaad Fort, DB, RS-Fr., SBU San Flowers, Def-UT, Sr., UINDY

HONORABLE MENTION Ty Michael, QB, RS-So., MCK Darryl Overstreet Jr., QB, Jr., UIU Kareem Carswell, RB, Jr., QU Jareese Howard, RB, Fr., LIN Jalen Bethany, REC, 5th, WJC Jay Ford, REC, RS-Jr., MCK AJ Austene, REC, Jr., WJC Cobi Lewis, REC, Jr., UINDY Garrett Drew, TE, Gr., QU Wyatt Bonnett, OL, RS-Fr., TSU William Doyle IV, OL, 5th, MCK Nicholas Cicero, OL, Jr., MCK Ryan Winn, OL, RS-Jr., WJC Nick Perry, OL, RS-Fr., UIU Tre Wince III, OL, Jr., QU Khi'Len Gates, OL, Fr., LIN Jaquan Dorsey, Off-UT, Sr., SBU Jake Closser, RS, Sr., TSU Robert LeMaster, LS, Jr., TSU Tanner Franklin, LS, Fr., SBU Mo Alwaely, K, So., LIN Kaleb Barry, P, Gr., MCK RJ Wells, P, Jr., UIU Baxter Bohr, DL, Sr., UIU Matt Austin, DL, Jr., QU Dameion Hatten, DL, Jr., MCK Braden Powers, DL, Jr., UIU Brandon Smith, DL, RS-Jr., UINDY David Avelar, DL, Sr., SBU Cameron Sturgell, LB, RS-Fr., S&T Ja'Markus Gary, LB, RS-Jr., MCK Nick Bova, LB, So., MCK Logan Turbyfill, LB, Jr., MCK Jake McCollum, LB, Sr., TSU Brock Wiley, LB, So., QU Keshawn Lyons, DB, So., MCK Levi Korir, DB, Jr., SBU David Lewis, DB, Sr., QU Avery Dixon, DB, Jr., UIU Paulvin Horton, DB, Sr., S&T Brock Jones, Def-UT, Sr., TSU

JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD INDIVIDUAL HONOREES
Kivonte Houston, UINDY
Yogi Flager Jr, MCK
Clayton Winkler, LIN
Justis Braden, S&T
Joe Webb, QU
Jaquan Dorsey, SBU
Peyton Carr, TSU
Baxter Bohr, UIU
Nash Gagliano, WJC
 
JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD TEAM WINNER
William Jewell